Finalist
Upskilling Nurses on Prostate Cancer Care
by Virgo Health for Ipsen
Summary of work
Specialist nurses are vital in providing support and education to patients with prostate cancer on disease, treatment and associated side effects. However, with an average caseload of 700 patients per urological cancer nurse in England, workload is high and time is very limited. These constraints mean nurses may struggle to deliver the comprehensive and holistic support needed by these patients.
Education for hormone therapy, its side effects and prehabilitation is not always readily provided to nurses, especially in primary care where the majority of patients on hormones are treated. Equipping nurses with this core knowledge and an understanding of the quality-of-life impact of hormone therapy on patients is key in helping them to provide the holistic support needed to optimise patient care.
Ipsen and Virgo Health developed a 2-year curriculum with experienced specialist nurses to encompass the most recent and clinically relevant information on prostate cancer and treatment pathways. This curriculum was launched in 2023 as a stepwise course for primary and secondary nurses, aiming to provide education on managing patients on hormone therapy. It includes in-person, hybrid and online modules, providing a flexible learning pathway to help nurses become experts in optimally managing patients on hormone therapy.
Judges’ comments
‘Upskilling Nurses on Prostate Cancer Care’ is a simple but effective programme that exceeded its objectives. The situational analysis and strategy were excellent and the metrics strong. The judges were impressed by the approach of looking at nurses to solve a problem and are excited to see what is to come.
